James Otto McLamore was first and foremost a man of God. He loved the Lord with all of his heart, soul and being. His most fervent prayer was that he would be able to live a life serving and witnessing for the Lord and stay true to Him until the day he was called home and that his children and grandchildren would love and serve the Lord as well. His prayer to be with the Lord for eternity was answered late in the evening of November 1, 2018, the day after his 82nd birthday.

Next to God, James loved his family with all of his heart and was very grateful to be able to live to see his children and grandchildren grow into wonderful adults and also experience the joy of his seven great-grandchildren. He was a devoted, loving and caring husband for 43 years to his wife Genie and an extremely proud father to his three beautiful, lovely daughters, Deborah Diane Owens, Loretta Rene Montgomery and Pamela Janice Roberts.

James was born on October 31, 1936, in Texas City, Texas in the parsonage located in the back of the church pastored by his late father, Reverend Leonard R. McLamore. At the age of 8, his family moved to Houston where his father then founded and pastored several Assembly of God churches. As James matured, he assumed several duties in the churches his father pastored, including leader of the Christ’s Ambassadors, Sunday School Teacher, Soloist and guitar accompanist, Praise and Worship leader and Associate Pastor. He became a licensed minister with the Pentecostal Church of God, and he spent one summer between college semesters as the pastor of a small church in central Texas. James attended Southwestern Assembly of God Bible College (now Southwestern Assembly of God University) in Waxahachie Texas. He then transferred to the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education.

While James fully intended to embark on a career as an educator, James was offered a position in insurance sales while he was still in college. It turned out that he was very successful in this field and spent the rest of his career in sales and service in the insurance industry. He did love to teach, and taught many Sunday School classes in the ensuing years.

He retired from his position as broker representative from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas in January, 1999, but continued as a self-employed independent life and group health insurance broker until his death.

After God and Family, James loved Baseball. Anything related to baseball or softball. Other sports were of interest, too, but not to the extent of baseball. He was disappointed that he was prevented from playing baseball while he was still in school, but he played and coached softball and fastball for many years. He loved to watch baseball and softball on television, and followed the Astros from their beginning in 1962 as the Houston Colt.45s. He was thrilled when the Astros won the World Series in 2017, something he had wished for all of those years. He had an extensive fashionable wardrobe, but he loved wearing his Astros shirts and his University of Houston Cougar shirts and jackets because they invoked so much conversation from others who love the sport as much as he did.

James loved people and he never met a stranger. He loved to share his stories with anyone who would listen. He was charismatic, a teaser, a diplomat, responsible, intelligent, Godly, and passionate about his ideals. He was happy and felt loved. His family is grateful for his life, his love, and that God took him gently and peacefully.

James was preceded in death by his parents, Reverend Leonard Raul McLamore and Evelyn Louise McLamore and his brother, Jerry Paul McLamore. He is survived by his wife, Genie McLamore, his daughters Deborah Diane Owens, Loretta Rene Montgomery and Pamela Janice Roberts, granddaughter Nichole Mills and grandson-in-law Clay Mills and their sons Henry and Archer; granddaughter Allison Hallum and grandson-in-law Brian Hallum and their son, Cody and daughter, Caroline; granddaughter Chelsie Muery and grandson-in-law Nick Muery and their son, James, daughter Chloie and son Jordan; and grandsons Travis Montgomery and Barrett Roberts.

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